FAW/UEFA PRO Licence

December saw the half way mark for the current Pro Licence candidates as they embark on their final qualification towards their future in coaching. The four day residential course in Surrey included visits to the impressive Chelsea and Arsenal training grounds, as well as watching the Premier League games between Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion and Fulham v Newcastle Utd.

On Sunday Chelsea’s Academy Director Neil Bath gave candidates a real insight into the philosophy behind Chelsea’s Academy Structure and how they not only
develop players for the future, but also develop their youngsters and staff as people. It is evident that Chelsea believe that ‘people’ are the key to creating an environment that delivers and produces excellence. There is a clear development pathway for coaching staff at the club, seeing internal progression as an important principle of the vision. The players are schooled at the training ground but also taught lifestyle skills along side their football education. This along with the multi million pound investment in their facilities with representations of key beliefs and values that are significant within their philosophy all contribute towards one of the best youth policies in the modern game.

The following day candidates attended Arsenal’s training centre, where in the morning they had the opportunity to watch Terry Burton take an under 21 training session where players wore GPS receivers to monitor the players, Terry also opened the floor up to questions from the candidates at the end of his session.

In the afternoon, Arsene Wenger gave up his valuable time, ahead of Arsenal’s journey to Bradford for their midweek fixture, to talk to candidates about his experiences in football, before opening the floor to questions. His opening comment to the candidates was about himself still being a “student of the game”. This coming from Arsenal’s longest serving manager winning 11 trophies since his appointment in 1996, summed up how dedicated he was to his life in football and he is one of football’s true gents.

Following the Fulham v Newcastle fixture on the Monday evening, candidates returned to Chelsea on Tuesday to watch U21 Manager Dermot Drummy prepare his players for the following day’s fixture with Ajax. The session focused on low intensity shape work in relation to how Ajax expected to play the following day. Dermot then gave up his time to discuss his session and present the Team Review Presentation and also his interesting career with the candidates.

Course Director Osian Roberts commented, “These four days were invaluable for the Pro Licence candidates. We had a masterclass in developing structures and facilities, creating a culture, developing players throughout the age groups, theory and practical sessions, and several in-depth discussions with people who are right at the top of their profession and much more. My sincere thanks goes to Fulham FC, Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC for giving the students an extraordinary insight into their organisations.”